How To Catch A Raven
by CursedRedRose
Summary: Beast Boy likes Raven but doesn't believe she'll ever notice him or find him anything over than annoying. So he decides to ask the other Titans for advice on how to win her over...BBRae with some Robstar and Flinx.
1. Dark and Light

_Hey everyone! So I was doing some thinking and I realised that all of my stories up to this point have been more centred around Flinx (particularly my last one, which you should also check out if you haven't yet) so I decided to write a story for my joint-second favourite Titan couple BBRae (joint with RobStar of course). Please feel free to leave feedback as I'm still working to get the characters right. Please read and enjoy!_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.**_

Raven sat in the corner of the spacious room, a pale ghost against the long dark shadows of the early morning that were pressing against the windows. She held her book up in front of her face like a shield, trying to keep out the world but it wasn't working.

"Beast Boy could you please not do that?" She asked in her usual monotone, not looking away from her page.

Beast Boy turned around, his cheeks bulging with tofu like a chipmunk. "What?" he said once he had swallowed it all down. "Do you want some?" He said, hopefully holding out his fork as the block of shiny white matter bounced on the end of it.

Raven shuddered. "No thank you." She answered looking up. "I meant could you stop chewing so loudly? I can hear you from over here."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Beast Boy said and went back to eating more quietly. Raven was taken aback. Usually he would have protested or said something stupid. She frowned. He had been more reserved around her lately and he had been getting up a lot earlier too. It felt like every time she raised her head, he was there, a little green speck in her vision as she enjoyed her quiet peaceful mornings before the others got up. She went back to her book, shrugging off her thoughts like she would her cloak at the end of a long day.

She didn't see Beast Boy stare at her as he chewed another mouthful slowly and smiled dreamily. He much preferred it when she had her hood down so he could see her face. He watched her violet eyes as they skimmed across the pages and her lips as they repeated spells in the book. She curled some of her purple hair around one ear and he imagined his fingers running through it. He bit his lip hard. Man, he had it so bad! One word from her and he just…

Her eyes suddenly flicked upwards to meet his and he realised he had been caught red-handed. Raven put her book down.

"Beast Boy, why are you staring at me?" She asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Err…"

Before he could say anything, the sound of Cyborg's loud singing filled the room as the metal man danced his way through the door. "Hey!" He greeted them with a wave, a huge grin on his face as he boogied his way to the fridge. "I hope you're feeling good cos I am feeling gooooooood!"

Raven sighed. "I'm going to my room." She said, standing up and closing her book. "I can't concentrate here." With a final death glare at them both she stalked out of the room and the door slid shut behind her.

"Nice going Cyborg." Beast Boy grumbled as he tucked into another bite of tofu. Cyborg, finally realising there was something wrong, closed the fridge and sat next to him.

"What's up BB?" He asked. He smiled smugly at him and wriggled his eyebrows. "Were you making goo-goo eyes at Raven again?"

"I was not making goo-goo eyes!" Beast Boy said, shovelling in more tofu. "But…I do really like her."

"We know." Cyborg said.

"You do? Who does?" Beast Boy jerked backwards in panic.

"Everybody." Cyborg said. "It's so obvious. Dude, the only one who hasn't noticed you moping around over her is Raven herself."

"I haven't been moping!" Beast Boy denied. "You're all just happier! Everybody's getting together right now…Robin and Star, Jinx and Kid Flash, you and Sarah…how did the date last night go by the way?"

"Great!" Cyborg was almost bouncing with excitement. "Best time ever! We were playing baseball with the kids she looks after and I hit it out of the park again! I've still got it! Boo-yah!" He fist-pumped his own victory.

"Cool." Beast Boy tried to sound happy for his best friend but he slumped over the table with his head on the empty plate of tofu. "I'll just be here…alone forever."

"Beastie, c'mon, snap out of it." Cyborg yanked his head up and waggled his finger at him like a school teacher. "Just ask her out already!"

"Are you kidding me? I don't have a chance!" Beast Boy protested. "She's so beautiful and amazing and I'm just me. Anyway, she can't stand me sometimes! She hates me dude!"

"She doesn't hate you!" Cyborg said. "You just need to try something different, that's all."

"But…" Beast Boy sniffed. "We're so different. What if we don't work?"

"Well, you haven't tried," Cyborg pointed out. "And anyway, haven't you heard of opposites attract? Look at Robin and Starfire; he's so moody and serious all the time, she's always happy and smiley. Look at Jinx and Kid Flash; she's an ex-villain, he was trained by the Flash himself. Heck, look at me and Sarah; she's a regular person looking after all these kids and she takes it so seriously and I'm a giant hunk of metal who's always goofing around." He smiled at Beast Boy and he managed a grin back. "You need that kind of light and dark in a relationship, else it won't work."

"I suppose…" Beast Boy beamed and a little of his old self shone through. "Yeah, that's it! I just have to make her notice me!"

"Yeah, alright!" Cyborg cheered, thankful Beast Boy seemed to be back.

"But…how am I going to do that Cy?"

Cyborg froze. His arms dropped back to his sides as he thought hard. "I…don't know." He admitted. "That girl is kind of an enigma…"

"CY! Don't you have any advice for me?!" Beast Boy begged desperately.

"Hmmm…" Cyborg thought for a moment then his face lit up. "I know! Go and ask Starfire! If anyone knows how to crack that kind of exterior, it will be her! She'll help you!"

"Of course she will!" Beast Boy whooped as he leapt out of his chair and ran for the door. "I'll just go find her! Thanks man! You're the best!"

"I know!" Cyborg yelled after him laughing. Best of luck to him, he thought, he'll need it with Raven. Now where did I put the number for that new restaurant? It'll be the perfect place to take Sarah…


	2. Saving Raven

_Hello again! I wasn't expecting to update so quickly but I fear I have the writing bug again as I'm so excited about how this is turning out! Please read and enjoy!_

Beast Boy found Starfire easily. She was in the gym with Robin who was in the midst of his long morning martial arts practise. He was dressed all in white and was pounding invisible enemies to the floor, sweat dripping down his brow whilst Starfire sat cross-legged by the side of the large mat calling out words of encouragement and eagerly clapping. Although it wasn't obvious, Beast Boy could see the secret smiles that passed between them and the clear adoration in each other's eyes. There was enough electricity between them in one lingering stare to power the Titans Tower for a month.

Beast Boy plonked himself next to Starfire and she greeted him happily. "Hello Beast Boy. Do you also wish to train in this manner?" She looked over at Robin who had just started shouting as he threw his staff around.

Beast Boy shuddered. "Maybe later," he said. "I need to ask your advice."

"I would be overjoyed to advise you!" Starfire said, clasping her hands. "What is it you need my advice for?"

"Umm…I want to ask Raven out but-"

"You and friend Raven? Oh, this is wonderful news!" Starfire clutched him in a great bear hug that choked all the air out of his lungs.

"Keep it down Star!" Beast Boy spluttered out and she let him go. "I don't think she likes me that much so I need to get her to notice me. How do I do that?"

Starfire looked confused. "Why did you not ask Cyborg for this advice?"

"Because Cyborg didn't have a clue," Beast Boy replied. "And he pointed out, since you got with Robin…"

"Oh! I see now." Starfire giggled and her cheeks went pink. "Robin and Raven are much alike, yes?"

"Kind of, yeah," Beast Boy admitted with a look over at the boy wonder. "So what can I do Star?"

Starfire thought for a moment then her face lit up with an idea. "One thing you can do," She whispered closely into his ear. "Is save her from something."

"What?"

"On my home planet, when two people in love are in a war they always look out for the other and save them at any cost. When Robin and I are together in battle we do the same thing. Also I am certain Robin greatly enjoys being saved by me…" She giggled again and Beast Boy wasn't sure whether to laugh along or puke.

"That's a great idea Star!" He burst out. "If I rescue her in battle, she'll have to notice me and I'll look awesome doing it!"

"Oh Beast Boy, I do wish you all the luck!" Starfire squished him with another hug just as Robin came over.

"Hey Beast Boy," He said, only addressing him after greeting Starfire with a kiss. She picked up the nearest towel and lovingly wiped his forehead as he leaned into her touch like a purring cat would. "What are you doing up here? You never come up out of your own free will."

"Beast Boy came to ask me for the advice!" Starfire said chirpily before Beast Boy could stop her.

"Oh really?" Robin looked at Beast Boy with a little smirk. "What about?"

"Err…"

Thankfully Beast Boy was saved from answering by a siren going off and red lights flashing all around them. "There's trouble in the centre of town!" Robin announced after a quick glance at his communicator. "Let's get moving!"

Awesome! Beast Boy thought, as he ran behind Robin and Starfire. This is the perfect opportunity to save Raven. Oh, she won't know what hit her!

They all met up at the mall in the middle of town, where a large sludgy monster was engulfing everything in sight. The creature was the size of a large house, coloured aubergine purple and had a gaping black hole of a mouth that was sucking in whole vehicles, benches and shopping carts whilst people ran for their lives screaming. Large lumps of its sickening muck were bursting everywhere and trapping people in its grip.

"Cyborg, what the hell is that thing?" Robin barked out in disgust as they catapulted towards it.

"It's some sort of molecular mass with electropulses running through it," Cyborg said as he scanned it. "I'll have to take some samples but I'm fairly sure it's got an organic structural formula…"

"In English?" Beast Boy said and he heard Raven groan beside him.

"He means it's a giant blob of goo." She said like she was talking to a small child and Beast Boy felt like his insides were shrivelling.

"Whatever this thing is, I want it gone! Titans, go!" Robin shouted as they sprang towards it.

As Cyborg and Raven raced to get the civilians out of the area, Starfire and Robin leapt into action. She picked him up and hurled him into the air as he flipped and threw his ice grenades at it. They exploded with a hiss of blue smoke and some of the creature froze up but then the rest of its slimy body spilled over and burst the layer of ice into fragments. Starfire blasted it with star bolts but they had no effect and it carried on crawling forwards. Starfire swooped down and caught Robin in her arms in one swift movement and they landed on the pavement.

"Raven! Try to stop it going any further!" Robin called over, still being carried by Starfire, as Raven glided over to them.

"Got it." She said as her eyes began to glow white. "Azareth Metrion Zinthos!"

Black magic sprouted from her hands and formed a block, keeping the monster back. She strained hard as slime oozed its way towards her. She tried to keep it away from her, straining with the force of it but with every bit she held back, more would come slurping over.

"Hold on Raven, I'm coming!" Beast Boy transformed into a gorilla and lunged towards her. "Take that!" He screeched as he brought both of his fists down onto the creature as it trickled towards Raven. They both promptly disappeared into the sludge with a loud squelching noise and when he tried to move them, the purple slime started to engulf his arms.

"Guys I'm stuck!" Beast Boy shouted in panic as he tried to free himself. He shifted into every animal his panicked brain could think of but the stuff was thicker and stickier than quicksand and it refused to let him go.

"Hold on Beastie!" He heard Cyborg yell from behind him but the gunge was already up to his elbows. So much for saving Raven, he thought as he continued to struggle uselessly. I need to save myself!

"Beast Boy!" Starfire cried out as he felt it crawl up his leg. This must be the worst way to die ever, he thought as he suddenly felt something whizz past his shoulder and dive into the muck.

He turned around and he felt his heart lift. Raven was swooping down towards him, her cloak billowing out behind her like angel's wings as she fired glowing bullets of magic into the side of the purple creature. God, she looks so good doing that, Beast Boy thought in a daze, temporarily hypnotised.

"Beast Boy!" Raven shouted right in his ear, breaking his trance. She was now tugging on his shoulders whilst trying to use her magic to force the creature back. "Keep moving, it's getting weaker!"

Beast Boy kicked out with his only free limb only to see that sink in as well. "Ooops." He said as he heard Raven hiss behind him. The gloop was now swarming up his upper body and he could see it creeping up to Raven's hands. "Sorry Rae-Rae…"

"Do not call me Rae-Rae and do not stop moving!" She commanded but he could hear the desperation in her voice. She carried on trying to yank him upwards and he wriggled and squirmed for his life but the cold gluey goo was now at his neck. If this is the end, Beast Boy thought as he stared up into Raven's face as she strained to free him. At least I get to see her face before I-

A piecing high-pitched sound suddenly oscillated through the air and the creature let out a howl of agony. Beast Boy felt the ooze was swelling and getting hotter and Raven was finally able to jerk him free as it began to bubble furiously.

"Raven quick! Get out of here before it blow-" Before they had flown any distance at all, the creature exploded behind them, sending large nuggets of purple slop soaring everywhere. One of them hit Raven in the back and both of them were sent tumbling back to the ground where their fall was broken by another puddle of the dead creature's mud.

"Raven, Beast Boy! Are you OK?" Robin and Starfire ran over and helped them out of the muck. Beast Boy looked fine, despite being covered from head to toe in chunks of mulch but Raven had gone paler than usual and she shuddered when she touched the thick gloop as she tried to scrape it from her cloak. Starfire tried to help her brush it off but it was stuck fast and refused to budge.

Cyborg then dashed over, one arm formed into his sonic cannon. "Did you guys see that?!" He crowed proudly. "I used a high-pitched frequency to mess with the structure of that thing's molecules and it worked like a dream! It was just too hot to handle! Boo-yah!"

"That was totally awesome dude! Alright!" Beast Boy stepped forwards to give his friend a hi-five but he was abruptly sent sprawling to the ground by a sharp slap across his cheek. He looked up to see Raven standing over him, her eyes glowering at him like smouldering coals and her cheeks as red as the jewel on her forehead.

"Awesome?! Is that all you have to say?!" She spat out angrily at him. "Do you know what nearly just happened?! You were almost swallowed up by that thing, it nearly got both of us, all because you decided to charge in like a fool and got stuck! What the heck were you thinking?!"

"I…err…I…err…" Beast Boy stammered as he wilted under her raging violet eyes. He had never seen her like this and by the shocked expressions on the other Titan's faces, they were thinking the same thing.

Raven let out a loud groan. "Exactly! You didn't think!" She pointed a finger at him sharply. "Don't you ever put yourself in danger like that again!" she yelled before she spun around and stalked off, her sullied cloak flapping with the swift motion. "I'm going back to the Tower to mediate," She called back over her shoulder in a sudden calmer tone that was more like her usual deadpan voice. "I need to restore my equilibrium."

As she disappeared, the other three stared in astonishment, first at her retreating back and then at Beast Boy who was still lying on the ground, nursing his sore cheek with dismay all over his face.

Cyborg whistled. "Wow, you really pissed her off, didn't you?" He said to Beast Boy before he noticed Robin and Starfire glaring at him. "I'll…go get some samples from this thing." He said and quickly sped off, eager to be out of the way.

Starfire sighed. "I am guessing my advice about the saving of friend Raven did not work. I am very sorry Beast Boy." She said sadly as Robin put his arm around her shoulders and looked between her and Beast Boy with confusion.

"Don't sweat it Star. It was my fault not yours." Beast Boy said miserably as he looked down at his knees. How had he managed to screw up this badly? Well, he thought, at least I got one thing right. She really didn't know what had hit her. He rubbed his cheek again and winced. At least he knew what had hit him.

 _So what do you think? Please leave a review and tell me if I'm doing the characters right or just leave one in general. Should be updating again soon._


	3. A Gift for Raven

_Woo, Chapter Three! I'm getting hyped up now as I'm already planning the ending which is going to be the next chapter. The comments are keeping me typing really quickly so thank you and I hope you like this next instalment!_

Ok, Plan A didn't work, Beast Boy thought as he trudged back to the Tower and immediately headed for his room to search for his communicator. He knew he was meant to have it on him at all times but he couldn't help forgetting it from time to time, especially when it kept vanishing into the depths of his messy room. He started chucking things around wandering where it could have got to and also how long some of the clothes he saw on the floor had been lying there.

He needed the communicator right now to reach his next port of call: Kid Flash. Not only was the cheerful speedster dating one of the moodiest and most sarcastic people Beast Boy had ever met (she had hexed him across a room once when he told her one of his best jokes) but he had also persuaded her to switch sides. Beast Boy thought he deserved a medal just for putting up with her but he would never have dared say it in front of his face. Kid Flash was even more protective of Jinx than Robin was of Starfire and you only badmouthed Jinx in front of him at your peril.

Beast Boy delved further into the piles of stuff that lay around his room like termite mounds until he finally found the communicator buried in a lump of slightly whiffy socks. He held it up triumphantly like it was a trophy and then dialled Kid Flash's number. Both he and Jinx were currently in China clearing up any remaining trouble the Brotherhood had left there. I hope they're both up, Beast Boy thought as it began bleeping. What time is it in China anyway…?

He soon got his answer as he heard a thud followed by the click of a lamp turning on and a bleary-eyed Kid Flash came into view. He was groaning drowsily and rubbing his eyes as he stared into his communicator. His red hair was a spiky mess and his bare muscular torso was only half-covered by a blanket. In the corner of the screen Beast Boy could just make out a grey shoulder and a few locks of spread-out pink hair. He gulped. He was gonna be in trouble now.

"Beast Boy?" Kid Flash moaned sleepily. "What is it?"

"Oh dude sorry," Beast Boy said quickly. "I didn't know what the time was over there…"

"It's very early, let's leave it at that." Kid Flash raked his fingers through his hair, making it even messier. "What do you want?"

"I…I just need some advice…" Beast Boy answered cringing. "I'm having some girl trouble…"

"Girl trouble?" Kid Flash said and the grey shoulder stirred.

"Wally, what's going on?" Jinx's sluggish voice came from behind Kid Flash as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Nothing Jinxie, Beast Boy's having girl trouble, that's all!" He announced, ignoring Beast Boy's frantic gesturing not to and leaning over to give her a kiss.

Jinx snorted. "Girl trouble? Does he need reminding of what one is?"

"Hey!" Beast Boy protested but Kid Flash laughed over him.

"C'mon, play nice." He told her. "I'll just be a minute." He got up and pulled the blanket off of him and Beast Boy was relieved to see he was wearing red shorts. "You just go back to sleep."

Jinx didn't need telling twice as she pulled the blanket over her head. Kid Flash smiled indulgently at her sleeping form before he sped out of the room.

"K Beastie, what's up?" He said now much more perky and interested.

"Well, it's to do with Raven-"

"You and Raven?" Kid Flash said with a little surprise. "Well, there's a turn-up for the books. Robin mentioned you had a thing for her but I didn't think you would act so quickly…"

"That's the problem. There is no me and Raven at this point." Beast Boy confessed. "That's what I need help with. And Robin told you what?!"

"Never mind." Kid Flash said hastily. "What exactly do you need help with?"

"I need to get her to notice me, cos at the moment she kinda hates me." Beast Boy thought back to earlier and quailed at the memory. "How would I do that?"

"Well…I'm no expert…"

"You managed it with Jinx."

"She didn't hate me."

"Didn't she hit you over the head with a wet floor sign and knock you out?"

"That was different." He pondered for a second and then his face cracked into a grin. "I know! How about you leave her things?"

"What?"

"You know, little presents or love tokens or whatever you want to call them. When I first met Jinx, I kept leaving her red roses to find. At first, I think she found it annoying but then she softened up to it. I found out not long ago she kept them all, she pressed them into a thick book so her team wouldn't find them and so they would last…" He looked back into the bedroom almost dreamily before snapping his attention back to Beast Boy. "Anyway, I think that would work. But don't use red roses, those are my thing."

"Sure, that's a brilliant idea!" Beast Boy beamed widely. "And I know the perfect thing to get her! Thanks a bunch!"

"No problem!" Kid Flash said before he gave a yawn. "Alright, I'm going back to bed now. See ya later!"

"OK, night, see ya later!" Beast Boy said as Kid Flash switched his communicator off.

"So, Beast Boy and Raven, huh?"

Kid Flash turned around to see Jinx leaning in the doorway in her nightie with her hair falling all rumpled down past her shoulders and a smug smile on her face. "I didn't think the grass stain had it in him."

"I know right?" They both walked back to bed and the second they were both under the covers, Kid Flash cuddled close to her and began planting little kisses onto her neck.

"Do you think it'll work?" she asked him as his hair tickled her and she shoved him away. "Stop it, I'm trying to talk to you!"

"I don't know." Kid Flash shrugged. Before she could react, he had rolled on top of her and was pinning her to the bed. "And anyway, I don't want to stop."

"I'll be tired tomorrow," She warned him playfully as he dotted kisses all over her face. "And you really don't want to see me cranky."

He looked down at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He kissed her long and hard on her lips before he drew back and whispered "I think I can handle it."

Beast Boy waited until the next day to put his plan into action. The afternoon before, he had managed to persuade Cyborg to drive him to the nearest bookstore and had fended off all of his probing questions without letting one detail of his plan slip. He had spent all night working on his present for Raven and he was praying she would like it.

It was funny, he thought as he placed it in front of her bedroom door, he could have sworn he had heard of it somewhere before but he couldn't think of where. Must have been a movie or something like that.

He darted back down the corridor and crouched hidden around the corner, his pointed green ear just peeping round. That was where Cyborg found him ten minutes later on the way back to his own room.

"BB?" He said quizzically, his eyebrow raised and his arms crossed as he stared at the green teenager who was squatting like a garden gnome. "What are you up to?"

"Shhhhh, I'm trying to listen out for Raven!" Beast Boy hissed as he kept his eyes on the wall in front of him.

"Raven?" Cyborg's eyes narrowed. "God, what are you trying to do now?"

"It's what Kid Flash suggested!" Beast Boy said. "He said to get her a gift or something and leave it for her to find! So I did and I'm waiting to hear her reaction!"

"Oh, a gift?" Cyborg breathed out in relief. "Is that why you wanted to go to the bookstore?" Beast Boy nodded without turning around. "Aww, you got her a book, that's nice."

"Wait 'til you see what I did to it!" Beast Boy said, pleased with himself.

"What did you do to it?" Cyborg asked puzzled.

"I found some online origami tutorial thing and I folded some of the pages up. Kid Flash mentioned something about flowers so I made her a paper bouquet!"

"That sounds pre-Wait you did what?!" Cyborg leapt back from him as if he had been stung and he had horror on his face.

"I…made her a paper bouquet out of a book?" Beast Boy said slowly, Cyborg's reactions suddenly making him uneasy and a little scared.

"Oh, this is bad!" Cyborg sounded panicky and he was pressed both hands to the side of his head like it was going to explode. "Dude, you do realise what that means right?"

"What?! What does it mean?!" Beast Boy turned around to face him, his eyes wide and distressed.

"Remember that wizard freak Malachior who tried to turn Raven all dark to free him?" Beast Boy nodded. "Well, he came out of a book and he manipulated her feelings by being nice to her and giving her paper flowers! She's gonna think he's back and freak out!"

Beast Boy sprang up "Shit! I knew that idea sounded familiar!" He cursed. "Oh God, what am I gonna do? Maybe I can go and grab it before she-"

They both froze as they heard the sound of a door sliding open. There was a moment of awful still silence. Then a loud scream thundered down the corridor, making Beast Boy almost jump out of his skin.

"Shit!" Cyborg yelled as he charged around the corner.

"What are you doing bro?!" Beast Boy called after him.

"I'm buying you some time!" Cyborg stopped and bellowed back. "You need to run BB!"  
"Where to?!" Beast Boy shouted, his panic mounting as he started to edge away from the wall.

The shrieking got louder. Cyborg started running again as a loud crashing sound came from down the corridor to join it. "I don't know but just do it! Run man, just run!"

Beast Boy morphed into a cheetah and sprinted out of the Tower. He hurled himself down the stairs, nearly knocking over Starfire as she carried Silkie up the stairs, and outside into the open air. Even as he dashed from the island, he heard an angry voice furiously screech his name.

"BEAST BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

He groaned. This was really not going very well.

 _Damnit, I wasn't going to put a cute Flinx moment in there but I couldn't help it! And I'm being really hard on Beast Boy! Don't worry, it won't go on for much longer…Please leave a review!_


	4. Plan Z

_Here we are, last chapter! This one was a real struggle to finish-I kept worrying about how certain things would be perceived but now it is done at last! Thank you for all the positive responses and reviews-you guys know who you are and you are the best! Please enjoy!_

I'm really in the doghouse now, Beast Boy lamented. He was sat on the grass at the edge of the city, on top of a rugged cliff looking out over the calm blue ocean. He had been watching its soothing constant motion and listening to its soft crashing sound for almost the whole day but it hadn't helped him to forget what deep trouble he was now in.

He had had his communicator on him when he had bolted from the Tower and a few hours ago he had had a very short and unpleasant conversation with Robin. Cyborg had managed to calm Raven down and assure her that Malachior had not found a way back and he was now attending to the damage in her room. Raven was now being comforted by Starfire but she was still incredibly angry with him and Robin hadn't sounded impressed either.

"I'll call you when you can come back." He had said stiffly, in a stern voice that had made Beast Boy's ears droop a little. "Use this time to think about what you did."

He probably thinks I did it on purpose as some sort of prank, Beast Boy thought sadly. The call hadn't come through yet but he was also waiting for something else. He picked up a stone and threw it over the edge of the cliff. Both Starfire and Kid Flash's advice had majorly backfired and now he was getting desperate. He sighed deeply. He had a bad feeling about this and he knew if he had any other options he would have taken them but now he had no choice. This was his one last attempt, his Plan C. No, he thought bitterly, more like his Plan Z.

He chucked another stone, more violently this time, and he heard a dry chuckle from behind him.

"Well, somebody has anger issues."

Beast Boy turned around sharply. Casually leaning against a random footpath sign was a young man in a tight red suit and black and white face mask, with flat orange hair and a smirk on his face. Slung over his back was a yellow bow and a quiver of arrows. He stepped forwards and Beast Boy scowled at him.

"What took you so long? I've been here for hours."

"Wow, you really are in a bad mood." Speedy chuckled again. "I heard about your lovely idea for a present by the way. You really do have a way with women."

"Shut up." Beast Boy growled. The day had already gone awfully and Speedy wasn't exactly helping with his dumb remarks. "You know why I called you."

Speedy's mask twitched and his face broke into a smug grin. He was renowned for being the worst womaniser in the whole of the Teen Titians and was notorious for trying it on with anything that was female and had a pulse. Bumblebee and the others despaired of it but for some reason it made his fangirls even crazier and he hardly did much to discourage them. Things had gone badly for him several times when he had tried to flirt with the wrong girl (Starfire had punched him through a wall with Robin's clear approval and he had almost been dropped in the ocean by Kid Flash when he had attempted to hit on Jinx, only saved by the quick intervention of Cyborg and Bumblebee) but he never learnt his lesson.

"You need my help getting Raven to like you." Speedy said with another grin. "I admit, it'll be harder after all those stunts you pulled earlier-why didn't you come to me first?"

"Because I know you Speedy." Beast Boy looked at him and saw he had a cut on his arm that looked very fresh and was making little drops of blood dribble down his arm. He pointed at it. "Where did you get that?"

Speedy looked down at it and wiped some of the blood away. He winced a little. "Let's just say I had a bit of a scrape. That girl was crazy, I didn't realise she could move so fast…"

"A girl did that to you?" Beast Boy said, wondering why he felt surprised. "Is that why you were late?"

Speedy looked a little guilty and Beast Boy felt even more uneasy than he had when he had first called him. "God, Speedy, I don't know about this…"

"How about you hear what I have to say first?" Speedy said quickly. "Then you can make your mind up."

Beast Boy looked away but hesitantly nodded. Speedy took that as a cue to informally walk over and heavily drop his arm around Beast Boy's shoulders, knocking the wind out of him. "Think about it. What does a woman look for in a guy?" he asked him.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you, would I?" Beast Boy said grumpily.

Speedy ignored him and went on. "C'mon just gimme a guess."

"Looks?"

"No."

"Style?"

"No."

"Money?"

"Partly but no."

"Niceness?"

"God no! C'mon Beast Boy, think!"

"I dunno, just tell me!"

"Humour! A sense of humour!" Speedy shouted exasperated in his ear. "Women like funny guys! How do you think I get so many? Of course looks do help…" He slicked down his hair and smiled broadly.

Beast Boy shoved him off. "But Raven doesn't think I'm funny at all! She hates my jokes; she's thrown me out of windows before because of them!"

"That's because you haven't shown her what you're really good at," Speedy said. "Think about it, if that's not too dangerous for you…" Beast Boy glared at him and said nothing. "Urgh, you're no fun. Pranks, Beast Boy, you're good at pranks!"

"Are you crazy? Raven already thinks I pulled a prank on her and that's why she's so angry with me! How is another prank going to help?"

"This one will be better, I assure you!" Speedy said in his usual cocky tone. "Trust me, I've done this before. Women will forget everything if you impress them. Show some backbone and get in there!"

"I don't know about this…" Beast Boy backed away warily. "This doesn't sound good…"

"Believe me, it'll work." Speedy said positively. "I didn't get my reputation for nothing, you know. And you do want to get the girl, don't you? But ah well, I guess if you don't want to, you can try something else…go to some of your other options…" Speedy started to swagger away, determinedly looking straight ahead.

Beast Boy frowned after him. Speedy's plan sounded so stupid but he did have more experience…the image of Raven's face swam before his eyes and he bit the inside of his cheek. This could go oh so horribly wrong like the others had but if it worked…

"Wait." He said and Speedy stopped mid-stride, his leg kicked up into the air like he was in a marching band. "What exactly were you thinking?"

Beast Boy returned to the Tower later in the afternoon and went straight to the living room. What confronted him there almost made him want to be back on that cliff by the sea. Robin, Starfire and Cyborg were standing in the kitchen. Robin had his arms crossed and a cross expression on his face, Starfire looked to be trembling a little and biting her nails anxiously and Cyborg just looked terrified for him as all their eyes went to the front of the room. Sitting cross-legged in the air by the huge window was Raven. She had her back to him and her eyes closed like she was meditating but Beast Boy could see in her reflection the flicker of anger that blinked across her face when he entered the room. He gulped. His heart felt like it was beating out of control and the contraption Speedy had clamped to his arm now felt really tight, like a boa constrictor around his arm. His brow felt sweaty and hot as his legs somehow made their way over to her. All his limbs felt like jelly as he stood behind her. He was so close to her he knew if he reached out his hand it would get tangled in her cloak. He took a long deep breath.

"Raven, I am really, really sorry about what happened this morning." He said in a great rush, his nerves making his voice whoosh out like air from a deflating balloon. "I never meant for you to freak out; I was just trying to do something nice for you. I guess I didn't think about the connotations that it would have…"

He spluttered to a halt as Raven turned around slowly like she was spinning around in an office chair about to fire him. Her eyes opened and he felt like she was burning a hole in him.

"No, you didn't think, did you? You never think." Her icy voice cut through him like a knife.

"Anyway," He went on bravely. "I'm truly sorry Raven, can you forgive me?" He held out his hand for a handshake, feeling sick to his stomach. Ever since he had left Speedy, he had been feeling worse and worse about his plan but he was too far gone now. He plastered a smile on his face as Raven raised an eyebrow at him.

She looked down at his palm. "This isn't a joke is it?" She asked.

"No." Beast Boy only just choked out an answer.

"Beast Boy…" Raven warned and he knew instantly she had seen right through him.

"C'mon, Raven there's nothing there!" He tried to joke but she didn't laugh. He could feel the tension in the air gripping him like iron bars. "See!"

He gripped both his hands together, his thumb clicking the off switch on the long metal device like an exoskeleton attached to his arm. He made to draw them away but suddenly the switch slipped and volts of electricity were sent pulsing through his body. He let go of his hands but it did nothing. His body shook with the force that was being sent through it and he let out a howl of pain as he started shifting uncontrollably into other animals.

"Beast Boy!" Raven got to her feet, her face twisted in fear. She turned to Cyborg in a panic. "What's happening to him?"

"He's being electrocuted!" Cyborg shouted back, trying to get closer to his friend but unable to due to the varying sizes of the animals he was becoming.

"How do I stop it?!" Raven screamed. She could feel his white hot pain on her own skin just from standing near him and seeing his face as it was warped in agony was more than she could bear. Sparks were shooting out from his arm and they could all see from the way it was spasming that it was broken.

They were all paralysed with horror as his body stopped convulsing and fell to the floor, now back in the form of a human. Raven collapsed by his side and pulled up his sleeve, ripping the metal device from his arm. She looked at the fried thing in disgust before she threw it at Cyborg and tried to revive Beast Boy.

"It's one of Speedy's prank machines!" Cyborg exclaimed. "I told him those things were death traps! When I get my hands on hi-Raven?"

Raven was bent over Beast Boy's limp body, her chest heaving and her eyes filling with tears as she slammed her hands down on his chest. "He's not breathing!" She wailed. "He's not breathing!"

Black magic started swirling around the two figures on the floor, engulfing them in a tornado of dark-coloured wind that picked up objects in the room and flung them around like toys. The other three tried to get to them but could not get anywhere near them. They yelled their friend's names but their voices were blown away and went unheard. Raven kept pumping her hands on Beast Boy chest, magic shining on her hands and her tears glowing as they poured down her face.

"Beast Boy, please, come back!" She shouted at him sobbing. "Please I can't lose you like this! I'll do anything I'll…I'll eat your fake meat, I'll play your dumb video games, I'll laugh at your stupid jokes, I promise, just _don't die on me_!"

She begged him desperately as her motions grew slower and more tired but still she couldn't feel him move. Her weeping consumed her as she slumped over him. "Please," she whispered in his ear, her wet grey cheek pressed to his green one. "I love you."

"You…do?" A croaky response replied.

She shot her head back and saw his big green eyes staring up into her own. Under her fingers she could feel his heart fluttering like the wing of a trapped bird as his chest moved up and down. He smiled up at her weakly and she gasped delightedly in response.

"Beast Boy…" she whispered in disbelief. She cupped his head in her hands and her thumbs ran across his cheeks before her lips fell on his and kissed him long and hard.

The magic around them died down and the other three saw them lying on the floor with their lips locked. Their mouths all hung open until Cyborg broke the silence.

"You guys are seeing this too, right?"

"Yes!" Starfire burst out loudly, nearly bursting the eardrums of the two boys standing either side of her. "And it is most wondrous!"

Epilogue

It was now late evening and the stars and the moon were beginning to show in the orange sky and the sun dropped slowly below the horizon like a coin disappearing into a slot machine. Watching the sunset with his arm in a white sling and a soppy grin on his face was Beast Boy. Next to him was Raven who was still berating him.

"I can't believe you went to Speedy!" She went on furiously, like she had for the last ten minutes. "And you let him put that buzzer on your arm! I'm going to kill him when I see him, that was just stupid! He clearly doesn't know women at all! Why didn't you just come to me first?" She looked at him, her eyes still pink with tears. She hadn't known you could cry that much, first with grief then with joy.

"Love makes you do crazy things Rae-Rae," He said, pulling her towards him with his one good arm. "Like take advice from Speedy or charge at a giant sludge monster…"

Raven laughed and shook her head. "Oh dear Beast Boy." She suddenly looked serious and said. "I do owe you an apology though. I was a real bitch then and I shouldn't have yelled at you like that or spoken to you the way I did earlier. I'm so sorry for putting you through all that, maybe if I hadn't you wouldn't have resorted to this. It was just…you so nearly were sucked in by that thing. If that had happened…"

"Don't worry Raven," He said. He kissed her cheek and he felt it go hot as she blushed. "I'm sorry too. You're right, I should have just told you. If I had had any idea you felt the same way…"

"We've both been idiots." She said as she reached her hand up to where his was resting on her shoulder and clutched it tight. "Still at least we can make it up to each other now."

They looked at each other and saw the stars in each other's eyes. They leaned in and kissed softly and sweetly, barely noticing when the sun did withdraw from the scene and the darkness gave them complete privacy.

 _All done now! Please leave a review whatever you have to say (constructive criticism is good, I won't get mad)! CursedRedRose out!_


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